Wrapping machines



April 26, 1960 Filed March 4, 1959 J. D. BENNETT ETAL 2,934,196

WRAPPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet I April 26, 1960 J. D. BENNETT ETAL2,934,196

WRAPPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1959 Fig. 12.

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April 1960 J. D. BENNETT ETAL 2,934,196

WRAPPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 4, 1959 \A mm 7 1 7 m u n0 m U w 3 M J. .H. m I w W m w /I 2 I 4 kw J April 25, 1960 J. D.BENNETT ETAL 2,934,196

WRAPPING MACHINES Filed March 4, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United StatesFatent WRAPPING MACHINES John David Bennett, Leeds, and Rowland Walker,Dewsbury, England, assignors to The For-grove Machinery Company Limited,Leeds, England, a company of Great Britain Application March 4, 1959,Serial No. 797,115

Claims priority, application Great Britain March 28, 1958 6 Claims. (Cl.19824) -It is well known to convey tablets of confectionery standing onedge in the pockets of a conveyor chain from a moulding device to atransfer station, at which a reciprocating transfer pusher ejects thetablets in succession from the pockets in the chain. Apparatus of thischaracter is described, for example, in US. specification No. 2,784,541.

Although the tablets may be carried on the chain as individual tablets,it is more usual for them to be so carried as a string of interconnectedtablets joined to one another by thin webs of stock. In operation ofsuch apparatus it has been the practice to remove individual badlyformed tablets, or a succession of badly formed tablets, by hand fromthe pockets of the chain, and such removal inevitably results indistortion of the adjacent tablets. This procedure also involves abruptstopping and restarting of the high speed pusher mechanism, which ismechanically disadvantageous.

The invention provides means whereby, in the event of faulty tabletsbeing observed on the conveyor chain, the level of the pusher may bechanged, without interrupting its motion, to render the pusherinoperative. When the pusher is so displaced, the tablets will be fedpast the transfer station by the chain to a position in which they maybe ploughed off the chain into a scrap box.

The invention provides, in combination with a pocketed conveyor chainarranged to convey articles to a transfer station, a pusher at thetransfer station, mechanism for reciprocating the pusher transversely tothe chain in timed relation to the forward movement thereof, todischarge the articles in succession from the pockets in the chain, asupport for the pusher which is movable between a level at which thepusher is eifectiveto discharge articles from the chain and anotherlevel at which the pusher reciprocates idly, and manually controllableshifting mechanism for moving the support between its two alternativelevels which includes means responsive to the position of the pusher inrelation to the chain for rendering the shifting mechanism effective atthose times only when the pusher can move up and down withoutobstruction by the chain or the articles carried thereon.

The shifting mechanism may comprise a member secured to the support andmanually actuable means which is engageable with said member inalternative positions to efiect upward or downward movement of thesupport.

Preferably the support for the pusher is a continuously 2,934,196Patented Ap 1 The lever is conveniently operable by means of a hand tionto actuate mechanism, e.g. a switch, for reducing the speed of amoulding device producing confectionery tablets carried by the chain,the chain and a wrapping machine to which the tablets are delivered byoperation of the pusher.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the mechanism for controlling thelifting of the pusher,

Fig. 1A is a view looking in the direction of the arrow X in Fig. 1,

Fig. 1B is a section taken in a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1,

Fig. 1C is a section on the line Y-Y in Fig. 1B,

Fig. 2 is a development of the cam utilised for raising and lowering thepusher,

Fig. 2A is a vertical section through the cam,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the pusher and associated mechanism and'Fig. 3A is a corresponding plan view.

Referring first to Figs. 3 and 3A, it will be seen that tablets 30 arefed by a continuously travelling conveyor chain from a moulding deviceto a transfer station at which a reciprocating pusher 27 operates totransfer the tablets in succession from the pockets of the chain top'ockets32 in an intermittently rotating feed disc 33 from which thetablets are transferred in succession to: a wrapping wheel as describedin US. specification No. 2,784,541. The moulding device, the wrappingwheel and the elevator for transferring the tablets from the feed disc33 to thewrapping wheel are of conventional construction and areaccordingly not shown in the drawings. The speeds of operation of thevarious components of the complete machine, consisting of the mouldingdevice, the chain and the wrapping mechanism, are of course properlyco-ordinated. The complete machine is driven by an electric motor andruns at a normal high speed when a switch S, Fig. 1, is closed. When,however, the switch S is opened, the machine is caused to run at aslower speed.

The pusher 27, which normally occupies the level shown in full lines inFig. 3, is reciprocated by an eccentric 34 on the upper end of avertical shaft 15 carrying a gear wheel 13, held in contact with athrust race 35 by a fixed fork 14 and driven by a gear wheel 36 on adriving shaft 37. The shaft 15 is splined to the gear wheel 13 so thatit may move vertically, as later described, to lift the pusher 2.7 tothe inoperative position shown in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 3. A camoperated lever 38 is coupled to the pusher 27 by a ball jointed link 39and serves to impart to the pusher a. component of movement parallel tothe length of the chain 31 as described in US. specification No.2,784,541.

So long as the pusher 2.7 is at its operative level, the switch S isclosed as described later, the machine runs at its higher speed and thetablets are fed in succession by the pusher 27 from the pockets of thechain 31 into the pockets 32 of the feed disc 33. When, however, theoperator observes faulty tablets on the chain he is able,

as described later, by actuating a hand lever 1 (Fig. 1)

result the switch S is opened to cause the machine to run at its slowerspeed. a

The lever 1 is pivoted at 3 (Fig. IE) to a block 4 rotatably mounted ona shaft 7 and its movement is constrained by a gate 2 having therein aslot of the form shown in Fig. 1A. The lever is movable in the gate froma normal position D to a position C, which movement results in theplunger being liftedto its inoperative level, and on, via position B toa position A at which the machine is driven at reduced speed.

On the lever 1 is a block 6 carrying pegs 40, 41 for coactionrespectively with a slot 50 in a lever secured to the shaft 7 and with aslot 90 in a cam piece 9 pivoted on a fixed stud 10.

When the lever 1 is in position A or B, or in any position between them,the peg 40 is disengaged from the slot in the lever 5, but when thelever 1 is shifted laterally into the limb of the gate containingposition C, the peg 40 engages the slot 50 in the lever 5 and as thelever 1 is moved in this limb of the gate it is effective to rotate theshaft 7 through the agency of the lever 5.

When the lever 1 is in position A, the lever 5 which, as. stated, isuncoupled from the lever 1 is held by a spring 12 against a fixed stop11 and the peg 41 engages the left-hand end of the slot 90 so holdingthe cam lever 9 clear of the switch S so that the switch S is open andthe machine runs at a slow speed. The spring 12 maintains the shaft 7 ina position such that, as later described, the shaft 15 is lifted to holdthe pusher 27 at its inoperative higher level. When the lever 1 is movedto position B, the peg 41 coacts with the slot 90 to depress the cam 9,thereby closing the switch S, as shown in Fig. 1, and causing themachine to revert to its normal fast speed. Movement of the lever 1 fromposition B to position C merely serves to couple the lever 1 to thelever 5. Movement of the lever 1 from position C to position D rocks theshaft 7 against the action of the spring 12 and causes the shaft 15 tobe lowered to bring the pusher 27 to its operative lower level. When inposition D, the lever 1 is slightly offset laterally from its position Cso that it may be retained in a portion 2 of the gate. The slightlateral movement of the lever into this offset portion of the gate doesnot, however, disengage the peg 40 from the slot 50 in the lever 5.Movement of the lever 1 between positions B and D causes the pin 41 totravel in a concentric portion of the slot 90, so maintaining the switchS closed.

A lever 8 on the end of the shaft 7 is connected by a link 26 (Fig. 1A)to a bell crank 19 rotatable on a vertical pivot 42 'but incapable ofmoving vertically. The bell crank 19 carries cam followers 17, 18situated at two different levels and capable of alternative cooperation,according to the position of the bell crank 19, with a cam 16 fixed tothe shaft 15. The cam 16 has three cam tracks 42, 43, 44 spaced by thesame vertical distance as the followers 17 18. The centre cam track 42extends continuously round the cam, while the; upper and lower tracks43, 44 are not continuous but run into the centre track as indicated at45 and 46 in Fig. 2.

When the hand lever 1 is in position D, the lower follower 17 engagesthe centre cam track 42 and the upper follower 18 is spaced laterallyfrom the cam, as shown in Fig. 1C. The shaft 15 is accordinglymaintained in the lower position shown in Fig, 3, in which it isretained by engagement of a plunger 21 (Fig. 1B), loaded by a spring 22,against the upper edge of a collar on the shaft. The pusher 27 isaccordingly operative. When, however, the hand lever 1 is moved toposition C the bell crank 19 is rocked to withdraw the follower 17 fromthe centre cam track 42 and approach the follower 18 to the upper camtrack 43. When the cam 16 is in a suitable angular position the follower18 will enter the upper cam track 43, and, as the cam rotates, thefollower 18 will travel down the portion 45 offthe cam track into thecentre track 42, so raising. the: shaft. 15

4, to the position shown in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 3, in which it isretained by engagement of the spring plunger 21 beneath the collar 20and in which the pusher 27 is inoperative. When the lever 1 is returnedto position D, the bell crank 19 will be rocked to withdraw the follower18 from the centre cam track 42 and introduce the follower 17 into thelower cam track 44. The follower 17 will then run up the section 46 ofthe cam track into the centre track 42 so lowering the shaft 15 toreturn the plunger 27 to the operative position.

Due to the special nature of the cam tracks, it is necessary to providefor deceleration of the moving parts at the end of their vertical travelcaused by the cut-out sections 45, 46 of the tracks and for this purposea double acting oil dashpot is incorporated in the mechanism. This isconstituted by a piston 23, which is secured to the shaft 15 and is afree fit in a cylinder 24. Bleed holes 25 drilled through the cylinderwalls communicate with the free oil in a reservoir 28, the holes beingplaced at the mid-position of the piston stroke so that the dampingeffect occurs only during the latter half of the stroke.

The cam 16 is, of course, so positioned on the shaft 15 that the riseand fall of the shaft takes place while the pusher 2'7 is in the correctpart of its stroke.

Reference to Fig. 2 will show that the duration of the lift of the shaft15 is twice that of the drop. This is rendered possible by the fact thatthe lift can start as soon as the tablet has been pushed into the feeddisc 33 (i.e. when the pusher 27 is at its outer limit of stroke) andcontinue until the pusher starts to re-cross the path" of the chain inthe direction towards the feed disc when it must be fully lifted. Forthe drop, however, owing to the possibility of there being tablets inthe chain pockets passing under the lifted pusher, downward movement canonly start after the pusher leaves the path of the chain on its returnstroke, and must finish as the pusher re-enters the chain. Both lift anddrop, therefore, finish at the same position in the stroke of thepusher.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. The combination, with a pocket conveyor chain for conveying articlesto a transfer station, of a pusher at the transfer station, mechanismfor reciprocating the pusher transversely to the chain in timed relationto the forward movement thereof to discharge the articles in successionfrom the pockets in the chain, a support for the pusher which is movablebetween a level at which the pusher is effective to discharge articlesfrom the chainand another level at which the pusher reciprocates idlyand clear of the chain, a displacing member for moving said support toits alternative levels which is mounted on said support and movable withsaid pusher anda manually operable shifting member which is engageablewith said displaceable member and effective to raise or lower saidsupport at those periods only of the cycl'e'of reciprocation of thepusher when said pusher can change its level without fouling said chainand the articles carried thereby.

2. The combination, with a pocketed conveyor chain: for conveyingarticles to a transfer station, of a pusher at the transfer station, anupright rotating driving shaft constituting a support for the pusher,mechanism. driven. by the driving shaft for reciprocating the pushertransversely to the chain in timed relation to the forward rnovementthereof to discharge the articles in succession from the pockets in thechain, said driving shaft being:

movable between a level at which the pusher is effective to dischargearticles from the chain and another levelat which the pusherreciprocates idly and clear of the chain, a cam secured to said drivingshaft and formed withv alternative tracks, a pair of cam followers and'amanual control member coupled to said cam followers and. adapted to movethem selectively into engagement with said cam tracks to move saiddriving shaft from one alternati've level to the other at times whenthe'pusher.

is unobstructed by said chain and the articles carried thereby.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cam has at difierentlevels a continuous central cam track and upper and lower cam tracksspaced equally from the leading into the central cam track, the camfollowers being spaced vertically by a distance equal to the verticalspacing of the cam tracks and being alternatively engageable with theupper and lower cam tracks to impart upward or downward movement to thecam and driving shaft as the case may be.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, comprising a dashpot for deceleratingthe movement of the driving shaft as it nears the end of its upward ordownward movement.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a switch for controllingthe speed of the chain and pusher, which is operable by said shiftingmember to reduce said speed by movement of said shifting member to aposition beyond that corresponding to the inoperative level of thepusher.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the manual control member isa pivoted lever movable in a gate and also shiftable laterally toconnect and disconnect it from mechanism for imparting motion to the camfollowers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,862,386 Nefi June 7, 1932 1,950,302 Hansen Mar. 6, 1934 2,567,041 VanBuren Sept. 4, 1951 2,652,137 Taronto Sept. 15, 1953 2,788,113 CurtisApr. 9, 1957

